Other than premium and ppv, there are only 15 HD channels that TWC provides today. Do we know which 5 are going to be available for CableCard/Tivo HD?

Click to expand...

No HD channels will be available, TWC will not sell the HDTV package to new CableCard customers (despite what is says on TWC web site, call and try to buy). Post #12 in this thread has a list for existing customers, but that list is subject to change.

3) TWC emailed, no change in position except for a bizzare offer that sadly TWC probably thinks is a good deal! Body of e-mail follows:

----------------------------------email start--------------------------------------------
Aloha, I have spoken with The Director of Customer Service, the Big Island will continue to comply with our divisional directives. We would like to offer you some alternatives that we will keep in place until two way devices such as TV and TiVo are available for public purchase.

The box will give you the ability to order:
Pay Per View
On Demand Movies
Interactive Guide

The solutions offered will give you more ability. It was recommended, if applicable, for consumers to take advantage of TiVo's 30-day Return plan . Later when TiVo comes out with a two way solution, you will be able to get all the benefits and two way abilities.

Please keep in mind that HDTV Broadcast channels can still be view with your one way cable card. Also if your HDTV has a built in tuner you can view the HD Broadcast channels. Our HD Entertainment Pak can not be viewed with out the cable box.

IF you would like to take advantage of our offer, please let me know and I will assist in helping to get everything set up for you. Again we thank you for your continued support.

All things considered that's not a bad gesture from TWC - they could have just said screw you and offered you nothing. Nevertheless I agree it's a big step down in functionality - I think you also need to lobby Tivo/Cable hard to get that dongle solution out sooner than later...

I just noticed this thread today. Apparently the rollout excludes Maui for now. I haven't received anything yet, and I just checked the last two bills online, and there was nothing there. I take it most of you are on Oahu, and one of you that can't get them to sell you the CC is on the Big Island? BTW, I think you should try them without the HD Ent. Pack. You might be surprised.

I'm going to email Nick and ask him if/when they plan on rolling it out on Maui.

As I'm sure you know, you can get some sat service on the islands, from either DirecTV or Dish, but their offerings aren't that good.

I never tried tuning into the music channels (I even uncheck all of them in the channel list), but I tried tonight .. I get nothing on my S3. The OTW HD DVR in the living room gets them all just fine.

For the long term, I was reading an article that Haw. Tel. has an application in to offer tv service. I guess it will be FIOS? I'm sure we won't see it for a couple of years, and then probably on Oahu first.

wonder if the S3 and THD are even capable of supporting 2-way m-cards with a software update? Is that possible?

Click to expand...

All m-cards are two way. The S3 and THD aren't, and don't have the hardware to do it, due to unreasonably licensing requirements (the only way TiVo could provide two-way was to run the cable company user interface). But there is a USB attachment that the cable companies agreed to that will let SDV (but not PayPerView or OnDemand) work, but when it will be available hasn't been announced. See the SDV FAQ thread.

Three and a half weeks after ordering, my cable cards arrived. TWC plugged them into my TiVoHD and nothing happened. (Presumably because the TWC guy had had no CableCard training, and plugged both cards in at the same time).

A few hours later he returned with an MCard! Plugged it in and it just worked. Although it took another 2.5 hours to find somebody at the 'head end' who had sufficient security authorization ("level 5") to turn it on.

Not much to tell you about SDV as it is not yet implemented on the Big Island. I am told that HD KHON, HD KITV, HD KHNL, HD KHET, HD Discovery, and HD TNT, at least, are not included in the HD Entertainment Pak and are/will be available to CableCard users.

This in an e-mail from TWC on Thursday:

A) "One-way cable cards and one-way TVs will not have the ability to receive Pay Per View, On Demand, two way channels, Sports Pak, Chinese channel, Spanish Pak and HD Entertainment Pak. Two way channels are shown in the grid and subject to change.. ".

B) "Moving channels over to a two-way digital platform is needed to efficiently deliver more programming. We will not be able to wait, as there is a need to add more programming".

C) "Video & audio channel transmitted on Oceanic TWC using a bidirectional electronic protocol is considered by Oceanic TWC as two-way programming, such as SD" ([clarification by s1_junkie]: two way-programming does not have to be interactive programming)

Have been having an e-mail dialog with a TWC person on Oahu, like pulling hens' teeth. This is my current understanding and opinion:

Historically cable card support was split by the FCC into 'one-way' (regular TV) and 'two-way' (Interactive, eg PPV). Support for the former is required now, and the later not yet.

So the question to answer is "is SDV two-way?". TWC say yes, so Cablecard support not required by TWC. I say no because only TWC's internal electronic protocols are two-way, from the users point of view it is one-way.

The issue seems to be: what does 'two-way' mean? Does it mean Interactive (i.e. involving the TV viewer and cable co.) or Interoperable (ie involving set top box and cable co.).

My contention is that two-way means Interactive, but not Interoperable (so SDV is not two-way and must be supported) because :

1) According to this FCC document http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/prod/ecfs/retrieve.cgi?native_or_pdf=pdf&id_document=6519612942 (page 32 "II. SWITCHED DIGITAL VIDEO MODIFICATIONS") : "In order to address this issue, the cable industry has worked with CE companies such as TiVo to arrive at a solution that can provide two-way SDV channels to one-way digital cable products through an external device attachment to the UDCP."
Pretty clear to me that SDV is a special case of one-way, and must be supported.

2) If SDV were two-way, then some imaginary and evil cable company could make all channels SDV and so totally bypass the CableCard requirement. There is a CableCard requirement, so SDV can not be two-way.

Separately and in my opinion, since SDV is introduced to meet TWC's need for increased efficiency, and the resulting loss of channels removes service from CableCard users. In order to make CableCard users whole, TWC should offer Tuning Resolvers free of charge at it's offices and reference this offer on it's web site. After all on the web site TWC does offer 100% CableCard satisfaction, not 75% satisfaction (or what ever the percentage of non-SDV channels happens to be). As I say, in my opinion; but it seem a reasonable request.

Great progress has been made and the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA) revealed the solution in a filing with the FCC. The agreed-upon solution is a small external adapter, called a tuning resolver, which will attach to the back of the CableCARD device and enable two-way communication with the cable headend so that switched digital channels can be received by TiVo products.

We expect the adapter to be available to consumers before switched digital becomes widely deployed

Click to expand...

2. The FCC says:

In order to address this issue, the cable industry has worked with CE companies such as TiVo to arrive at a solution that can provide two-way SDV channels to one-way digital cable products through an external device attachment to the UDCP